Squaxin Island tribe’s Salish Cliffs reopens for golf with virus protections in place

Salish Cliffs Golf Club near Shelton beat most other golf courses in Washington to the first tee on Tuesday, when it reopened for play nearly a full week ahead of the rest of the state.

On Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee outlined a timeframe for the public to return to the links and other outdoor recreation sites. Golf courses and many state parks and public lands will reopen May 5, with modifications in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Salish Cliffs, which is part of Little Creek Casino Resort, sits on tribal land so it is not subject to the governor’s statewide stay-at-home order set to expire on Monday. The casino and other resort amenities will remain closed until further notice.

Mike Faulk, deputy communications director for Gov. Inslee, said in response to a question about Salish Cliffs that Inslee respects the sovereign authority that tribal jurisdictions have over their lands. The course is owned and operated by the Squaxin Island Tribe, which closed the casino resort March 25. The tribe declared a state of emergency on March 24, barring outside access to its residential community.

“People are ready to get outside,” said Ray Peters, intergovernmental affairs liaison for the Squaxin Island Tribe and interim chief operating officer of Little Creek Casino Resort. “Golf is a healthy activity and we have safety precautions in place to ensure there won’t be points of contact.”

Peters added that he reached out last week to share the plan for reopening Salish Creek with the governor’s office. He did not hear back, but was heartened by Monday’s announcement.

Players and member organizations across the state lobbied for golf to be one of the first activities reintroduced once progress in the fight against COVID-19 allowed for relaxing of the stay-at-home order.

That pent up desire to tee off has manifested itself on the tee sheet at Salish Cliffs. As of Monday evening, tee times on Tuesday were booked until the late afternoon, with weekend slots almost entirely spoken for, according to a pro shop employee.

Players are encouraged to reserve and pay for tee times online or over the phone. They can check in upon arrival by calling the pro shop instead of entering the building. Increased use of no-contact bookings and payment options is the first of 18 requirements laid out by Gov. Inslee’s office in conjunction with the state departments of Labor and Health.

“We had strong protocols in place prior to closing the course, but we decided to close it with the casino for public safety reasons,” Peters said. “There were differing opinions as to closing golf courses. Neighboring states kept courses open and we watched that as well to see how that worked, while also watching the same numbers the governor’s office is using to make decisions, so we’re really happy to see they’re on the same page as us.”

Based on a press release distributed Monday by Little Creek Casino Resort, the course will be in line with many of the modifications, which mirror those enacted in Oregon, which exempted golf courses from business closures mandated by its COVID-19 response.

The modifications include spacing tee times out by 15-minute increments, limiting the number of peole in the pro shop at one time, restricting access to the driving range to within 30 minutes of a player’s tee time and raising cup liners an inch above the green to remove the need for players to handle flagsticks.

Other restrictions agreed on by state officials and representatives of the Washington Golf Association and The Golf Alliance of Washington limit groups to two players per tee time, with an exception for members of the same household allowed to play as a foursome, and the removal of on-course equipment such as ball washers and bunker rakes.

“I am confident they will follow the guidelines set forth for golf operations,” said Troy Andrew, executive director of the Washington State Golf Association. “We work closely with many tribal land golf courses and they are great caretakers and do a lot for the game of golf.”

The requirements mandated by the state will be reviewed and updated on a weekly basis.

“We know we’re taking the necessary precautions for the safety of our patrons,” Peters said. “We’re allowing foursomes with only one person per cart, and everything has to be set up over the phone or internet. You can’t walk up to the pro shop without a tee time and get on the list.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 12:30 PM.